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 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 8:20 AM   
 By:   ZapBrannigan   (Member)

I've only actually bought five Charles Gerhardt albums, but they're good ones. I think I chose well:

• Max Steiner - Now Voyager
• Franz Waxman - Sunset Boulevard
• Erich Wolfgang Korngold - The Sea Hawk
• John Williams - Star Wars and Return of the Jedi (Sony)
• John Williams - The Empire Strikes Back (Varese)

And also, I'm familiar with tons of his tracks, because on Youtube you can play almost any Gerhardt cue for the price of a commercial. So, tons.

To choose one: the single track that does the most for me is "The Throne Room and End Title" from Star Wars. There's a lot going on in that cue and it all works.

Have you got one track or album that stands out as your favorite?

 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 8:28 AM   
 By:   NSBulk   (Member)

"Luke's First Crash."

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 8:31 AM   
 By:   eriknelson   (Member)

For me the Bernard Herrmann one is the most captivating. The selections show off how versatile he was. And Gerhardt was indeed fortunate that Herrmann was present during the recording sessions. At the time, with the exception of CITIZEN KANE, all of the music had not been re-recorded and was available for the first time.

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 8:32 AM   
 By:   eriknelson   (Member)

dp

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 8:32 AM   
 By:   TacktheCobbler   (Member)

Of the four Gerhardt albums I have, the expanded Waxman album is the one I listen to the most. If I had to pick a specific track that stands out above the others, it would have to be the Rebecca suite on the Waxman album.

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 8:40 AM   
 By:   Rameau   (Member)

I haven't listened to any of them for a while, I'll have to correct that. Favourites include:

Casablanca: Classic Film Scores for Humphrey Bogart
Captain Blood: Classic Film Scores for Errol Flynn
Lost Horizon: The Classic Film Scores of Dimitri Tiomkin
Classic Film Scores of Korngold: Elizabeth And Essex.

 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 8:41 AM   
 By:   Scott McOldsmith   (Member)

I'm pretty sure I have the complete or at least near-complete catalog of his rerecordings. They are ALL superb. He's turned me on to so many scores I never would have given a second thought to for films that, while legendary, I have never seen.

I honestly cannot choose a greatest or favorite. You cannot possibly go wrong with any of them.

 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 8:48 AM   
 By:   RcM   (Member)

For me the best single track is from "The Classic Film Scores of Bernard Herrmann" - The Death Hunt (from On Dangerous Ground).

But I think "Sunset Boulevard: The Classic Film Scores of Franz Waxman" is the best album. (Probably a sentimental choice because it was the first one I bought.)

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 9:19 AM   
 By:   Rozsaphile   (Member)

Different strokes for different folks. But this much is unarguable: "The Sea Hawk: The Classic Film Scores of EWK" is the album that changed music history. In 1972 Korngold was forgotten. There was virtually nothing on records except the old mono Violin Concerto. Today Korngold is standard repertory, with multiple performances of the VC and other works and many new productions of the operas. And would we have "Star Wars" without the inspiration that this record provided for George Lucas? The success of this album made the others possible. And with due respect for Gerhardt's contribution, it was George Korngold's lifelong advocacy and professionalism that made the series happen.

 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 11:03 AM   
 By:   EdG   (Member)

For the price of two CDs you can get the whole set. They're all spectacular.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B082BWZRCH/?coliid=I394DY61OKRDJJ&colid=3UQO32VPUI4Q8&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 11:11 AM   
 By:   Tom Servo   (Member)

For me the Bernard Herrmann one is the most captivating. The selections show off how versatile he was. And Gerhardt was indeed fortunate that Herrmann was present during the recording sessions. At the time, with the exception of CITIZEN KANE, all of the music had not been re-recorded and was available for the first time.

I'm also in agreement with this choice of the Bernard Herrmann, it might be the most listened to Gerhardt album for me. Following this, the Franz Waxman and Alfred Newman recordings are in my 2nd and 3rd ranked spots.

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 12:55 PM   
 By:   villagardens553   (Member)

I first heard these records in the mid 70s and the two that resonated the most with me were the Herrmann and the Waxman, not just because of the conducting skill, but the music itself. Those were times when there was no complete Citizen Kane album, no On Dangerous Ground, and so on. Even the selections representing scores that were on album, like Taras Bulba, weren't easy to find. Even today, I still rank those two above the rest.

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 1:27 PM   
 By:   Ford A. Thaxton   (Member)

The Lee Holdridge album he did with the LSO is quite awesome and tends to get overlooked as well as the compilation of his Reader Digest Recordings that VARESE issued as well.


Ford A. Thaxton

 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 2:50 PM   
 By:   Sean Nethery   (Member)

Just to note another favorite cue, have to call out Prince Valiant at the beginning of the Waxman album. That's just such a perfect little suite.

And I for one am very grateful for the two little bits of The Big Sleep that I think show up on a couple albums.

But I gotta say that it was the extended CD release of The Sea Hawk that first made me fall in love with Korngold.

And I tend to listen to Gerhardt's Return of the Jedi album more than the OST. It's just a great take all around.

Um, that was more than one! wink

PS Ford is also exactly right about the Holdridge album.

 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 3:01 PM   
 By:   EdG   (Member)

The Lee Holdridge album he did with the LSO is quite awesome and tends to get overlooked as well as the compilation of his Reader Digest Recordings that VARESE issued as well.


Ford A. Thaxton


100% agree.

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 7:24 PM   
 By:   MMM   (Member)

Herrmann and Rozsa for me.

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 7:43 PM   
 By:   .   (Member)


For me, the Rozsa CD is the best of them. The Red House suite is astounding. And the Song of the Jungle from Jungle Book is a marvel.

 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2021 - 11:26 PM   
 By:   Amer Zahid   (Member)

Casablanca: Classic Film Scores for Humphrey Bogart
Lost Horizon: The Classic Film Scores of Dimitri Tiomkin
The Sea Hawk

These stand at the pinnacle of great rerecordings of classic film scores for me!

 
 Posted:   Sep 21, 2021 - 1:43 AM   
 By:   Amer Zahid   (Member)

I bought the relatively recent Sony non-Dolby Surround releases, and I initially preferred those versions to the older and less detailed Dolby Surround releases. But as time has passed, I find myself playing the old ones more often than the much brighter (bit too bright), newer ones.

For me, the Rozsa CD is the best of them.


if you prefer the Surround versions then I would recommend even better the SACD editions that came out on Vocallion Dutton label in UK, They did 5 of these but you will enjoy these if you have an SACD capable player and multi channel speakers.

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 21, 2021 - 4:56 PM   
 By:   Howard L   (Member)

Gerhardt's Rebecca is an exquisite rerecording par excellence.

 
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